Phone hack scandal: Cop, two scribes nabbed in bung brouhaha

Two journalists and one serving police officer were arrested early this morning under suspicion of corruption and allegations relating to misconduct in a public office.

Scotland Yard cops working on the Operation Elveden inquiry into claims of police bung-taking, which is an investigation happening in conjunction with the Met's probe of alleged phone-hacking offences at Rupert Murdoch-owned News International, are currently holding all three suspects at separate stations.

They said a 39-year-old man, who is a serving officer in the Wiltshire police force, was manacled at his home on Wednesday under suspicion of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office contrary to the Criminal Law Act 1977.

Yard officers also cuffed a 51-year-old man in Bristol and a 32-year-old bloke in south-east London - both unnamed journalists - on identical alleged offences of conspiracy to corrupt and conspiracy to cause misconduct in a public office.

As is standard in cuffings relating to Op Elveden, Op Weeting (phone hack allegations) and Op Tuleta (computer hack claims), the Met offered up a now familiar-sounding statement:

Today's arrests are the result of information provided to police by News Corporation's Management Standards Committee. They relate to suspected payments to a public official and suspected disclosure of confidential information by a police officer and are not about seeking journalists to reveal confidential sources in relation to information that has been obtained legitimately.

This morning's arrests bring the number of Operation Elveden suspects to 50 people nicked so far. ®